Omiai
by EmyBlossom93
Summary: Sakura knew that both kingdoms would benefit greatly from such an opportune arrangement. Naruto's Konoha would have more fertile lands and hers would finally have the protection it needed. And, she supposed, the blonde wasn't a terrible person (amazing to look at, as Ino so helpfully pointed out). Now, if only she could get over the urge to punch him every time he opened his mouth.
1. Chapter 1

***Naruto***

The sun was just beginning to rise over the horizon when the caravan set out towards the Outerlands; brightening colors pressing outwards, streaks of pale purple and pink against the dark of the night. The caravan seemed to be running from the brighter color, in towards the darkness as they traveled towards the western border of Konohagakure.

_How fitting_, Naruto mused, _because there's nothing out there but darkness. _

"Ne, Naruto-chan, are you excited about visiting the Outerlands? I know you've yet to visit them and I just know you'll love it." Kushina attempted to excite her son. She sat across from him in the little compartment, her usual smile playing on her face.

"If only it was just a social visit," Naruto muttered.

Kushina sighed, "Naruto, I'm sure she'll be a lovely girl. Not to mention, we'll be procuring all that extra land; land that will do our kingdom much good. It's a win-win for everyone, truly."

"Yeah, except for the fact that I have to _marry_ a complete stranger," Naruto spit it out, "She may be a lovely girl, but she's still a _princess_. And they've all been the same: materialistic and superfluous. What do I want with a girl who's more concerned with pretty dresses than books?"

"Naruto, there is absolutely nothing wrong with liking pretty dresses over books. Every single one of those girls would care for both you and the kingdom. Do not base someone's brains just because they prefer skirts to pants or sewing to reading." Kushina admonished him, "While they may have _not_ been what you are interested in, they still deserve your respect and you _will_ give it to them. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mother," Naruto nodded, "I just meant that, while they may have all been lovely girls in their own right, they were not the ones for me and I don't see how this one will be any different. I don't think that being smarter makes one girl better than another, it just makes her better for _me_."

"Don't judge her before you've even met her," Kushina told him, "You never know what she may be like. And besides, she's your last hope unless you'd wish to marry one of those 'materialistic' girls. Because you must get married, Naruto, if you ever wish to follow in your father's footsteps as Hokage."

"I know I must," Naruto agreed, lips pulled into a wry smile, "But that doesn't mean I want to."

"I know," Kushina gave him a small smile of her own, "And if there were any other way, I'd do everything in my power to make it so."

"I know," Naruto sighed, before turning to look back out the window as the passing forests began to thin out into open lands, "I know."

It wasn't until the forests had been long left behind that Sasuke announced, from his silent seat on Naruto's left, "We will be arriving momentarily."

Naruto glanced back out, watching as the last curve gave way to the smaller city. It had a circular layout, with the Royal house in the center, at the highest point, and the smaller buildings of the city spreading out around it, declining in elevation. It was much smaller than Konoha, in both size and population; however, what they did have (in abundance) were fertile lands. Konoha's greatest defense was its surrounding forest lands, an expanse of confusing, thick trees that prevented enemies from invading; however, this was also a great weakness in that it didn't allow for much agriculture. This meant that Konoha was reliant upon foreign lands for most of their needs. That was why this union with the Outerland City was so important. It meant that Konoha would procure all of this land as a prefecture and be less reliant on imports.

"It is much more … simple, compared to other kingdoms we've visited," Sasuke said, looking out past Naruto's shoulder at the approaching building. The Royal House was about the size of the servant's quarters back in Konoha, though Konoha's Royal House was much larger than most.

"The Outerlands cannot afford to be as … ostentatious as we can," Kushina explained, "They prefer not to bring attention to themselves in order to prevent the wrong people from taking too much of a notice."

"It's time to finally meet them," Sasuke said as the caravan pulled up to a large arch, marking the path that led to the entrance of the building.

When they exited the compartment, they were greeted by a small group of people led by a petite blonde girl.

She walked up to them and gave a low bow, "Hello, Namikaze-samas and guests. My name is Yamanaka Ino and I am to lead the main party up into the castle. My associates will lead the rest of your party to where they will be housed during your duration here."

"Wonderful," Kushina smiled at the girl, "Lead away. It'll be nice to stretch our legs after that journey."

"Yes ma'am, of course," she turned around on her toes and began leading them up the path to the front door, "Haruno-samas will be waiting for you in the main room and dinner will be served shortly."

"And how do you know the Harunos, dear?" Kushina asked.

"I'm Sakura-hime's lady-in-waiting," Ino answered, "I've been with the family since I was a baby."

"So, you are to be part of Sakura-hime's entourage when she comes to Konoha, I presume," Ino gave a quick nod so Kushina continued, "And what do you think of the dear Princess? It'd be nice to get people's opinions of her, especially someone who has had to deal with her on a daily basis."

Ino paused in her step for a moment, a slight tension building up in her shoulders as if preparing for a verbal hit. It was gone in the next breath as if it had never been there, Naruto only noticing it because he had come to expect it when he while sparring with others.

They'd arrived at the front door by the time Ino answered, "Sakura is my best friend and I'm hers," She turned to look back at them, a smile playing on her face as she looked Kushina in the eyes, "We'd do just about anything for one another."

"I understand," Kushina nodded, though what it was she understood, Naruto didn't know. He was never one for the subtlety of words … or the subtlety of anything really.

Ino gave a nod, then turned around and pushed open the large stone door, leading the way into the large building that would house them for the courting-month.

* * *

**_so yeahhhhhhh ... started a new story haha. ( a couple actually ... feel free to check those out too)_**

**_i swear im gonna finish FI but im sorta stumped; however, i am going back though and editing the first 4 chapters to get me back on track._**

**_anyways, thought it'd be awesome to see a KingdomAU (at least that's what i'm calling it) Not sure exactly when in history but ... in history. haha._**

**_as always, review and let me know what you have to say (good, bad, saucy...) i'm always up for some help so if you notice and errors please point them out to me! and if anyone is interested in beta-ing any of my stories, just message me on here or tumblr or twitter (links are on my profile page) :-) _**

**_This story is NOT completed, but i am about half way through the next chapter now so that should be up soon (though reviews _do_ help me get the motivation to update faster lol). _**

**_Thanks and see ya next chapter!_**

**_~Emy~_**

**____****{disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters/things}**


	2. Chapter 2

***Sakura***

The entire village had been abuzz for weeks when news had spread that _the_ Royal family was going to be visiting. And then, the mood had turned to ecstatic when they found out the reason why. Sakura's mood, however, had just turned more and more sour as the big day approached.

If it wasn't bad enough that Sakura had to give an entire month up to entertain the Royal Family, her mother had insisted on taking most of her days leading up to their arrival in order to drill proper etiquette into her head. Never mind the fact that she'd been taught how to properly handle herself since before she could walk. And then, whatever time hadn't been claimed by her lessons went to other preparations for the courting-month (honestly, if she had to try on one more dress, Sakura would probably punch a few holes in the wall.) This meant there was no personal time left for Sakura to do the three things she enjoyed the most: physical training, medical training, or lastly, spending time with the villagers.

"You're pouting again," Sakura looked over to see Ino leaning against the door frame, "You keep that up and you'll be wrinkly in no time."

"Oh shove it," Sakura said, looking back out the window, "You'd be pouting too if you were locked up in the house this entire week. I'm fairly certain I'll be driven mad by all of the ruckus."

"Nah," Ino shook her head, stepping into the room, "You'll be fine. And just remember, it'll settle down once the Namikazes arrive later today."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Sakura asked, "Then I'll just be trading one prison for another. I'll have to show them around and be nice and what not. I don't have the temperament to deal with entertaining Royalty for a month. I'm not courteous enough."

"You can be when you want to be," Ino pointed out, "And it won't be too bad. I heard your fiancé is pretty cute."

"We're not engaged yet," Sakura protested.

"But you will be."

"How are you so sure?" Sakura turned, "Remember the last time we tried this? It only took the guy a week to decide he didn't want me."

"Yeah well, he was a dick," Ino shrugged, "And besides, you didn't like him either. That's why you gave him food poisoning."

"Ino," Sakura looked around the room to make sure no one overheard, "We weren't supposed to ever mention that again. Ever. You know I did what I had to do. I couldn't possibly marry him. He wanted me locked away in a room somewhere making babies for him all the time. No, thank you. And then, even worse, he had nothing nice to say about our village. Jerk."

Ino was chuckling now, "I'm not saying what you did was wrong just sort of … nasty. Besides, this time around is different because you actually want him to be interested in you. You know this whole deal will do everyone so much good."

"I don't want to hear it anymore, Ino," Sakura shook her head, "I'm well aware of how good this deal is for everyone and I'll do my best to make sure it goes through. Now, why did you even come here? To put me in an even worse mood?"

Ino shot her a faux shocked look before settling back into a light smile, "Nope, I'm here to sneak you out. A couple of the villagers are getting into a dispute and they want you to solve it."

"But I have to get ready. They'll be here in a couple of hours." Sakura shook her head, as much as she wanted to be able to actually go outside, even if for a little while.

"Time enough, if you hurry," Ino said, "And your dad okayed it. You should go and get your last taste of freedom." She produced Sakura's walking boots from behind her back and held them out to her.

Sakura pursed her lips before shooting out of her chair and grabbing the boots from Ino, "Sure, sure. I'll go. Maybe it will be interesting. See you in a bit, Pig."

"Whatever, Forehead girl, just don't be late."

As it turned out, the dispute wasn't that interesting or out of the ordinary and the villagers didn't really need her assistance to solve the problem. As she walked back, Sakura wondered if Ino and her father had sent her out on this little mission just to let her work out some pent of energy. And, it worked to an extent.

"Sakura-hime!" A young voice called out from behind her, and Sakura turned to see a younger girl named Moegi running towards her, "Did you see? Did you see?"

"See what?" Sakura asked, smiling down at the girl.

"The carriages just came in through the outer-bend!" Moegi exclaimed, body shaking with excitement, "There are a whole bunch of them! And they look so pretty and royal. I wish I could ride in one."

"Maybe one day," Sakura smiled down at her. And then, she realized just who those carriages were holding: the people she was supposed to be welcoming into her home.

"Oh shit," Sakura cursed under her breath, "I'll see you later, Moegi. I have to run."

She heard the younger girl yell a good-bye as she weaved in and out of the streets trying to get back home in time to change into the dress and greet her guests. Apparently, the little dispute had taken longer than she'd realized to solve and now she was running late.

By the time she made it to the house (going in a smaller side door) she could see the carriages just pulling up to the drive that led to the front door. She ran up the side stairs two at a time, slamming into her changing room to see her handmaidens all waiting for her. Along with her mother.

"Hey mom," Sakura smiled awkwardly at her, "I swear I didn't mean for it to take this long."

Her mother just sighed and shook her head, "I expect you down and presentable in ten minutes. And _not_ looking like you just ran a marathon. I realize we are in the middle of nowhere but we don't have to look the part as well."

"Yes mother," Sakura nodded before going over to where the handmaidens were waiting to change her into her dress, "I'll be down in a minute." Her mother didn't respond, just nodded, before leaving through the proper door and walking down the hallway.

Luckily, the dress they'd chosen was just a simple red number and didn't require much time to put up. Her hair was also going to be kept plain for the simple fact that it always took hours to style any other way. She was dressed and about to head downstairs when Ino came in the door.

"Just making sure you actually made it back and didn't run for the hills while you were out," Ino joked.

"Very funny," Sakura said, "Have you seen them? _Him_?"

"Yep," Ino nodded, "Ugly, terribly ugly the lot of them. Especially the one you have to marry. Better be prepared to kiss with your eyes closed, Forehead."

"Very funny, Piggy," Sakura shot back, leading her down the hallway, "Did he at least seem nice?"

"Didn't really talk to him. Looked bored, though," Ino shrugged as they reached the top of the staircase.

"He just rode hours, of course he'll be bored," Sakura shot back, "Let's just get this over with. Faster it's done, faster I can go to the dojo."

Ino shook her head, "Whatever, I'll go introduce you, _your majesty_."

"Shove off," Sakura said, watching as her best friend shot her a wink before heading down the stairs.

At the top of the stairs was a giant mirror that reflected some of the room below, and Sakura used that to see if she could get a glimpse of the man she was supposed to be entertaining for this upcoming month. However, all she could really make out was that there was a woman with red hair and two shorter men: one with dark hair and the other with bright blonde. She wondered which one was her future fiancé. Which one was Naruto.

But, before she could get a good enough look to tell anything, she head Ino's voice introducing her. Sakura took a deep breath and steadied herself before taking the first step down the stairs.

* * *

_**Author Notes**_

_**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to update. I should've known better than to say a week last time since I knew my birthday was that week along with Catching Fire (went to the midnight premiere! it was awesome!) and Thanksgiving.**_

_**But alas, here is the second chapter! You got some Sakura action going on. And next chapter should have them actually meeting. ^_^ **_

_**The third is also finished and I'll be updating that someday next week! :)**_

_**Feel free to review below! Feedback is always a plus!**_

_**And also, I'm looking for a beta reader for this story. If you're interested send me a PM here or tumblr or twitter! :D**_

_**Thanks and see ya next chapter!**_

_**~Emy~**_

_**{disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any related characters/things}**_


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